1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device and/or system for connecting one movable object with a second movable object. More specifically, the present invention relates to a coupling device and/or system for connecting a wheelchair or other transport device with a wheeled IV stand.
2. Related Art
Conventional systems and/or devices disclose a wheeled IV stand connected to a transport device. One such system and /or device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,157 to Wilt et al. (the Wilt patent). The Wilt patent appears to disclose an IV stand that is rigidly connected to the upper frame of a wheel chair. The IV stand is positioned in front of the wheel chair so that the IV stand will be pushed when the wheel chair is pushed. The Wilt patent appears to teach that use of a rigid connection between the IV stand and the wheel chair allows the wheels of the IV stand to be raised off the ground simultaneously with the lifting of the front wheels of the wheel chair. This feature allows the wheel chair and/or IV stand to pass over obstructions on the floor.
Coupling systems and/or devices of the type disclosed by the Wilt patent, however, have several significant disadvantages. One such disadvantage is that such conventional coupling systems and/or devices require, to some extent, modifications to the wheel chair. This is a significant problem in that every wheel chair in a hospital, for example, must be modified before attachment with the IV stand.
Another disadvantage is that conventional coupling systems and/or devices cannot easily fit to all sizes and configurations of wheel chairs. Wheel chair, although conventional in design, vary in size. This is inevitable in that there are many wheel chair manufacturers. Therefore, to be most practical, a coupling device and/or system should be capable of attaching to a variety of wheel chair sizes.
Another disadvantage is that to get over obstructions on a floor, devices exemplified by the Wilt Patent require the lifting or tilting back of the wheel chair. This is a burdensome task, especially when a the IV stand may have a heavy pump of other type of equipment on it. Furthermore, the wheelchair/IV stand combination typically encounters ramps (upward and downward sloping). The rigid connection exemplified by the Wilt device may not allow the wheel chair/IV stand combination to travel over ramps without the tilting back of the wheel chair.